Core i5 3570K processor review -
Final words and conclusion

Final words and conclusion

And there you have it the full Core i5 3570K review way beyond the initial release, a standalone review this time and if one thing has become clear, these are great processors for the gaming community.

Tweaking and performance

The tweaking potential as history has learned us is good but not great all due the the Intel Heat Spreader. Ivy bridge processors as such overheat quite fast once you pass 1.30 Volts on the processor. We took the 3570K towards 4700 MHz but don't be surprised if you get stuck at 4500 MHz as we already needed 1.375 Volts to make this happen. And the only way to keep that processor stable at these frequencies was to use some sort of extravagant cooling. In our case a liquid cooling kit from NZXT.

Ivy Bridge was the next logical step for Intel to make in terms of their Tick-Tock model. The Tick here is to further improve on the existing architecture, yet on a smaller fabrication process -- the 22nm transition has been completed. Now we have to wait for Haswell later this year.

Despite the heat issues that Ivy bridge has when you increase Voltages, we do have to say that the ease with K model 3570 and 3770 processors is impressive. You'll reach +4.5 GHz real fast. Be advised though, get good cooling to achieve and maintain acceptable temperatures. We noticed that once you pass 1.30 Volts on the processor, heat becomes an issue real fast. The overclocks themselves are definitely real fun though.

Combined with a 77 Watt power draw and lower voltage requirement when overclocking might push you over to the other side. But clock for clock performance, really things are not at all different. If you are coming from much slower processors and are in need of an upgrade then I can recommend Ivy Bridge very much.

My personal favorite will remain that 8-threaded Core i7 3770K for obvious reasons, the Core i5 3570K however I like very much. The processor has all the variables right, despite the fact we had been hoping for a notch more baseline performance.

What about the IGP

Quite honestly, for gaming, you are still looking at little performance for any serious stuff. Flick down and forfeit on image quality and resolution, and things will get better fast. As huge as the overall performance improvement over the last generation IGPs really is, it remains entry-level for gaming. But for mobile platforms the embedded GPU will be quite good.

We also need to separate gaming from the graphics core, realize that it is a multipurpose graphics processor. You'll have no issues with Blu-ray playback, heck it can even deal with 3D TV, post-process your media files and help out with video en/trans and decoding. The GPU is compatible with HDMI 1.4 and Display Port 1.2 next to the regular DSUB and DVI connectors of course. But overall, we really like the embedded GPU for what it is and does, we like to call it a video or media processor though.

The enhanced AVX extension; I did not expect it to perform this well. You have two requirements before you can use the AVX extension on the processor. Make sure your Windows 7 is up-to snuff with the SP1 (required).

Let's talk money

A 3570K will cost you 200 EUR say 220 USD, and that is why this processor has become amongst the most popular processors currently. The L3 cache is only a hint smaller at 6MB and the default clocks are only 200 MHz lower than the 3770K. You do forfeit on hyper-threading though and that showed quite a bit in the synthetics tests. But it's 100 bucks cheaper opposed to that 3770K and gaming wise we doubt you'd ever notice a difference.

Power consumption

The Intel reference board with a Sandy Bridge processor WITHOUT a graphics card idles at roughly 50 Watts. Once we stress the processor 100% on that platform we leveled out at 110~120 Watts. So Ivy Bridge and its chipset are energy friendly, realistically though they are not at all far off from Sandy Bridge. Once you add a dedicated graphics card the dynamic changes of course. Remember, after a BIOS update Ivy Bridge can work fine in your series 6 chipset motherboard as well. Heck, it even works vice versa, a Z77 motherboard will support a Core i7 2700K just as well.

Final Words

We stated it in the past already, looking at Ivy Bridge in its baseline processor performance we had hoped for a little more over the previous generation. However, the TDP, overclockability, increased IGP performance and then the platform features increase with USB 3.0 and PCIe Gen 3.0 makes the overall infrastructure much more interesting than the previous generation. Since the Core i7 3770K remains pricey the Core i5 3570K is the next best thing to be honest, for any performance enthusiast gamer in the desktop PC platform we can wholeheartedly recommend these processors in combo with a nice Z77 motherboard.

Core i5 3570K processor reviewWe review the Core i5 3570K Ivy bridge processor. Will Ivy Bridge be the processor series everything you expected? Go find out in this extensive review here at Guru3D.

Core i5 2500K and Core i7 2600K reviewToday we test and review Sandy Bridge, the Intel Core i7-2600K and Intel Core i5-2500K processors. We will pair the 2600K processor with the Intel Desktop Motherboard DP67BG and also run a test with the Intel Core i5-2500K processor on a Intel DH67BL motherboard

Core i5 655K and Core i7 875K processor reviewIntel today releases two new processors targeted at a somewhat more enthusiast audience. Yes, processors for tweakers and overclockers. On socket LGA 1156 Intel now releases two K series processors. The 32nm Intel Core i5-655K processor has the very same specifications as the Core i5 650; it will operate at 3.2 GHz, will feature two cores with Hyper-Threading technology, sport 4MB of L3 cache and will be made using 32nm process technology. The difference between the 650 and 655K is the unlocked multiplier only. Then we have the enthusiast class Intel Core i7-875K processor, it has the very same specifications as the Core i7 870; it will operate at 2.93GHz, will feature four cores with Hyper-Threading technology, sport 8MB of L3 cache and will be made using 45nm process technology. The only difference between the two central processing units (CPUs) will be the unlocked multiplier on the 875K chip, which will allow overclockers and enthusiasts to easily boost clock-speed of the product without the necessity of overclocking other parts of their systems.

Core i5 650 - 660 and 661 processor reviewThe time has come for Intel to debut a new line of mainstream 32nm processors, which we have all learned to recognize under the codename 'Clarkdale', the new CPUs will be aimed at the mainstream desktop PC segment and will complement the chip maker's Core i3 and Core i5 line of products. The Intel processor lineup will include the Core i3 530 and 540 models, as well as the Core i5 650, 660, 661, and 670, which will be featured with Hyper-Threading, 4MB of L3 cache and support for dual-channel DDR3-1333 memory. Well, that and an integrated GPU as well of course. Guru3D will put the Core i5 650, 660 and 661 to the test.